Threat Types

There are many cyber threats that organisations face. The following is a summary of the key threat types both current and emerging. Note: The list is not exhaustive and new threats are emerging every day.

Phishing is a way cyber criminals trick the victim into giving them personal information. The cyber criminals, or "threat actors" send fraudulent emails or text messages often pretending to be from large organisations you know or trust. They may try to steal personal online banking logins, credit card details or passwords.  Attackers commonly use phishing emails to distribute malicious links or  attachments that can extract login credentials, account numbers and  other personal information from victims.  

Spoofing is a technique through which a cybercriminal disguises themselves as a known or trusted source.  Spoofing can take many forms, such as spoofed emails, IP spoofing, DNS  Spoofing, GPS spoofing, website spoofing, and spoofed calls. 

What is the difference between phishing and spoofing?

Spoofing involves  using a fake email address or phone number to make it appear as if the message is coming from a trusted source. Phishing involves creating fake websites or using a fake email address that appears to be from a  trusted source. 

Ransomware is a type of malware from that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or permanently block access to it unless a ransom is paid off. While some simple ransomware may lock the system without damaging any files, more advanced malware uses a  technique called cryptoviral extortion. This is a data kidnapping  attack in which malware encrypts user data and demands payment in exchange for the decryption  key. 

By encrypting these  files and demanding a ransom payment for the decryption key,  cyberattackers place organisations in a position where paying the ransom  is the easiest and cheapest way to regain access to their files. Ransomware is generally very sophisticated and often has serious financial and operational disruption effects on organisations.

Business email compromise (BEC) is a type of cybercrime where the scammer uses email to trick someone into sending money or divulging confidential company info. This can done by sending a bogus invoice (that looks like a suppliers real invoice) with the threat actor's bank account details replaced. By the time the victim is aware of the crime, the money has been drained from the attacker's bank account.

Session hijacking is a technique used by hackers to gain access to a target's computer or online accounts.  In a session hijacking attack, a hacker takes control of a user's  browsing session to gain access to their personal information such as bank accounts and  passwords. 

AI helps  cybercriminals automate attacks, scan attack surfaces, and generate  content that resonates with various geographic regions and demographics, allowing them to target a broader range of potential victims across  different countries. Cybercriminals adopted the technology to create  convincing phishing emails. Just as AI is now used for good uses (i.e., ChatGPT), AI is now being used for nefarious and criminal activity (i.e., WormGPT).

A tech support call that is not expected is a scam, even if the number is local or looks legitimate. These scammers use fake caller ID information to look like local businesses or trusted companies. If  a pop-up message appears it is best to ignore it. 

Credit card fraud refers to the fraudulent use of  someone else's credit card. In the pre internet era, this was only  possible by someone observing your behaviour at an ATM, watching the input of your PIN, then stealing the card from your wallet or purse. These days, scammers have an arsenal of technical tricks to swipe from a credit card, and  most don't even need the physical card to execute the attack.